Owls - Harry Potter

At least owls are used by charlatans and pagan doctors in India, now a new problem has been added: the abduction of owls and putting them in cages as pets for children

I'll admit it, I haven't read any of the books and I haven't seen any of the movies in the famous series about the "little wizard" and his wars with evil. However one of the few pieces of information I had about the wizard is the fact that wizards use owls for communication, as opposed to mortals who raise homing pigeons.

It turns out that the series of stories and films about Harry Potter occupies a place of honor among the Indian audience. In the wake of Harry Potter, the feeling of identification expands and grows, especially among the middle class in the cities, an identification or need to resemble a wizard to such an extent that many of the Indians were "infected with the need" to keep owls as pets.

According to the Indian Minister of the Environment, many Indians have "fallen in love" with owls to such an extent that parents buy owls for their children, as a result the owls also become "stars" at parties and events. Since the snow owl was given to the mountains as a birthday present, many children expect a similar gift, but snow owls are not found in India, so the Indians make do with local owls.
A new report on behalf of "Traffic" (an organization for the prevention of wildlife trafficking) indicates the severe damage to the owl population. The owls of all types and species are protected in India as in the whole world, but the demand stimulates the activity of criminals who capture the owls and market them in markets and streets without curfew.

Harry Potter is not the only culprit in the story, a system of spells and charms that are driven by superstitions, creates a great demand for animals and their prey (tigers, tigers, shenboobs and others) of which the rising star in demand is the owl (whole or dismembered). The owl, which has always been a symbol of wisdom, but because of its nocturnal lifestyle is considered mysterious and mysterious, is used as an important and vital "accessory" in religious ceremonies as well.

It turns out that a large part of the owls are supplied "by order", when the orderers are parents (of their children) or sorcerers, magicians, religious priests and charlatans. Although there is no exact number for the number of owls in India, it is estimated that today there are only a few thousand left... in a space where there is room for hundreds of thousands.

The importance of owls to the natural and agricultural environment is well known and recognized, their importance increases in years when there is an "explosion" in the rodent population (due to the flowering of bamboo). Following the publication of the news in the Indian media, the writer responded and said that "if my book does make someone think that an owl locked in a cage would be happy, I must state... absolutely not".

Ridiculous, strange and maybe sad because the news was published as part of a promotional campaign for the screening of the last episode in the series...?